Shortest game

[Destroyer]

I played a game yesterday (MOO2) and while Id like to boast about how I won in about 45 minutes, the opposite was true.

It was just about the best starting location Id ever had. I had settled 6 ultra rich planets (huge map). made contact very recently with all 3 races. Elect galactic president soon comes up, and blahm, they all vote for the Psylon, who wins out.

After having such good planets at the start, I was very upset

[vmxa1]

That is unusal, I would not expect a vote so soon on a huge map. It is a real danger in Moo1 on a small map.

[Ray K]

I once lost on two turns after the 1st council meeting on a small map.

When the first vote came up, the Bulrathis narrowly missed getting 2/3rds. Two turns later, another vote came up and they secured the missing votes.

I wasn't even in the running at the time and simply conceded the humiliating defeat.

[vmxa1]

I have heard of early vote, just have not seen it that Irecall. Nothing humiliating about it as it is just a freaky deal.

[ravagon]

Had a game of Moo1 once where my 3 parsec planet next to my homeworld just happened to be Orion (I don't think this is supposed to happen normally so maybe something went wrong somewhere).
Lost my colony ship on turn 3 and would've had to rebuild it and research both tundra environment and range 5 fuel cells to colonize the next closest planet (this on a huge map). Having found this out by turn 5 I just gave up and restarted.

[vmxa1]

I had Orion next to me like that, but I had another star within the 3 parsec range as well. I lost my scout, not my colony.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by ravagon
Had a game of Moo1 once where my 3 parsec planet next to my homeworld just happened to be Orion (I don't think this is supposed to happen normally so maybe something went wrong somewhere).

Happened to me as well. So it seems it can happen normally. Anyway, my colony ship got eaten and I called it quits.

[vmxa1]

UR, even if you do not lose you CS, you will be handicapped.

[Urban Ranger]

I would be, though I might be able to recover if had just lost my scout. There were some systems four and five parsecs away that I could reach with my next (hopefully) tech in propulsion.

[Gilgamensch]

If started to play MoO1 again, after years of abstinence.

One of my first games I was close/next to Orion, but it actually helped me, as the I was in a corner and the Klackons next to me, so that I only had one system to defend. And Yes, I still won the game, even as the first votings didn't include me at all.

But one advantage of MoO1 against 2 is that the Tech-progress is a bit longer, at least my feeling.

The only thing which starts to disturb me, that the tech's are random. Like in my last game nobody had radioactive planets. There were couple of Ultra-Rich around and no-one was able to use them

For MoO2: I never had such an early vote. IIRC it should only start after 50% of all systems(? or planets) had been colonised. This point seems to be 'earlier' in MoO2 as in 1. But the main reason might be that the maps in 1 are HUGE, whereas in 2 are just huge.

[vmxa1]

Moo1 will trigger a vote once 2/3 of planets have been colonized.
Moo2, I never found what the trigger is, but it can be be very early. I have not run into it, but other report the vote in less than 10 turns.
I have seen many games where all of the planets could not be colonized, due to lack of technology in Moo1.

[Gilgamensch]

One thing I 'recognised' in MoO2, votes only started after you 'met' everyone. If you haven't met everyone, there won't be votes. I had one game, locked in a corner, unable to get away, 2 systems in reach, 1 no planets, second one Asteroids, from there to another one, with again no planets...... Yes, great, And only after the AI traded between themselves unlimited or range 9, whatever, they contacted me and two turns later they voted. I just had one vote, Yes, great, down the *&^%&*..........

Thanks vmxa1, I had in mind 50%, but the at this stage, it is moving so quickly, that it would be only a differnence of 2/3 turns (more or less).

[SiriusX]

If I Remember correctly, in MOO 2 voting occurs only you've made contact with everyone.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Gilgamensch
The only thing which starts to disturb me, that the tech's are random. Like in my last game nobody had radioactive planets. There were couple of Ultra-Rich around and no-one was able to use them

That's why I think the game should let everybody get all the "unique techs" and the last in "serial techs."

"Unique techs" are ones where there is no substitute. Atmospheric Terraforming for example.

"Serial techs" are ones where the later ones are progressively better than the early ones. For example, Gauss Autocannon is the last in the "slugthrower" series IIRC.

[vmxa1]

Hum, I like the fact that you are not assured that you will get a given tech or it will even be in the game.
BTW UR aren't you on the list for nominees? Way to go.